Up a Tree
Dining in Treetops off the Coast of Thailand

Trekking through the jungle doesn't have to be so... predictable. Sometimes you just want to put down the machete.

Especially if you've discovered a modern hideaway of mud-caked massages and elegant dinners in the treetops.

Welcome to Soneva Kiri, stowed deep within the Thai jungle, taking reservations now.

To get here, you'll need to work your way to Bangkok—then the hotel's seaplane will transport you to Koh Kood, a tiny, little-known island 15 miles off the coast. From there, you'll take a motorboat another mile up the coast to find your reward: an open-air, cabana-style suite with 21st-century amenities, there whenever you need a break from such laborious endeavors as snorkeling, picnicking by a waterfall and being chauffeured by golf cart to your next massage.

And when the sun's about to dip below the shoreline, head to a beachside eucalyptus tree, where you'll find a rattan-and-steel bird's-nest just big enough for four (available at the in-house restaurant starting in July). Climb in with your dinner companions, and you'll be hoisted up into the treetops for Thai fusion with an epic view... and the waiters will take care of you by flying back and forth from a nearby tree via zip line.

So maybe don't order the soup.